The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Pakistan have decided to start the creation of a joint working group that will work on institutional reforms in Pakistan Railways.
ADB Vice President Yingming Yang put forward this proposal in a meeting with Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema in Pakistan. The working group will give a platform to monitor and advance institutional reforms in the railway sector.
The federal minister called the Main Line-1, ML-1, a flagship project of importance. The federal minister said that ML-1 remains among Pakistan’s national priorities.
Yingming Yang welcomed the progress and pace of work by the government on the ML-1 project. Yingming Yang expressed ADB’s commitment to continued cooperation for the early start of practical work on the project.
Ahad Cheema said that ADB had remained a longstanding development partner of Pakistan for six decades. Ahad Cheema also welcomed the approval of ADB’s Country Partnership Strategy for Pakistan for 2026-2030.
The minister stated that financial, structural and governance reforms carried out over the three to four years had restored confidence in the economy. The minister added that the reforms had provided a foundation for macroeconomic stability and sustainable economic growth.
The minister also linked the improvement in Pakistan’s credit rating to government reforms and economic stability.
ADB Vice President appreciated the government’s project‑readiness reforms. The meeting also covered the promotion of medium‑sized enterprises, exports and targeted skills programmes.
ADB and Pakistan discussed programmes for electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure, water and food security, and technical assistance.
Pakistan and ADB agreed to speed up the implementation of development projects and maintain coordination, keeping further progress on the horizon.
